


Realpolitik

by bexacaust



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, EriFef, F/M, Minor Kismesissitude, Pitch Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 22:12:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3185084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bexacaust/pseuds/bexacaust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Beforus AU I've been playing with; answering questions like why they did what they did, where "culling is caring" originated, and why the whole world was (inevitably) destroyed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Realpolitik

“Fef, it won't work.”

The tyrian narrowed her eyes at him, wondering why he decided to interrupt her in this moment of all times. She crossed her arms, trying her best to loom over him where he sat, across from her and inspecting his claws absently, “And just what makes you say that, Eridan?”

“Because you're bein' a fuckin' idiot, Feferi.”

The room they were in went silent. The council was quiet, fearful, as they watched the head of the military and the head of the country battle verbally.

“Real mature.”

“You mean concise, princess. Concise is the word you're lookin' for there.”, he retorted, glancing briefly at her, “I'm usin' as few words as I can ta get my point across.”

She moved from her seat, swaying over the floor and placing her hands upon the table, “Well then. Mister Ampora, if you would be so kind as to inform the councilmen and women of your thoughts.”

“You're makin' the same mistake every cult has made since the Signless, and it's fuckin' laughable and also a little insultin'. You'd think all those sweeps around me woulda let somethin' rub off on you.”

“...”

He looked at her, “Please, tell me again Fef. What exactly are you proposin'?”

“Simple! A might for right organization. Laws meant for the good of ALL instead of the few.”

“Uh huh.”

“Those who do good will be rewarded and those who do evil will be punished appropriately. Judges who weigh scales based on fairness and appropriateness, laws that are thoroughly good and ju-”

“You're legislatin' morality, you whiny broad.”

You could hear a pin drop as Feferi jerked back. Eridan rose to his feet, arms behind himself; the picture of military posture as he stepped from behind the table. His shoes clicked as sharp as his words as he stepped out to the center; Feferi didn't break her gaze, turning as his position moved.

“I'll say it again, Feferi.”, he began, one hand moving into view to push his glasses back into place. The simple dark frames had a matte shimmer to them, a distinct contrast to the sharpness of the violet irises behind them, “The legislation of morality makes martydom the new execution.”

“How so?!”

“The thing about morals is they are firmly rooted in these things called free will, and choice.”, began Eridan, fins flickering as he spoke in his level tones, “To make morals into laws is to remove that concept, thus changing them from true goodness and just behavior to simple words on paper... You make them rules. And rules are made to be broken.”

“Then we'll punish them for it!”

“The you'd be punishing them for self-preservation!”, said Eridan sharply, “What is kind and good to one group may be cruel an' unheard of to another, don't you understand?! Emotion has no place in politics.”

“Of course it does! Don't we appeal to emotion in order to gain votes?”

“Yes, we do, that's called manipulation. And, going by the concept of morality, manipulation is unjust and thereby illegal. And so, you're stuck in this stupid circle where your only usable option is completely illegal!”

Feferi's voice jerked to a stop as she paused.

“There's another aspect here you're forgettin' as well, Feferi.”, he continued, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder in a finicky and lofty gesture, “And that is simple nature.”

“What the hell do you mean?”, she growled with narrow eyes.

“Language; this is a neutral ground.”, he scolded lightly, coldly, “The nature of a thing is the desire to continue existing; 's a law of philosophy I believe. Everything wants to continue existing. When faced with a choice between what is morally right and what is necessary for survival, a creature will always choose SURVIVAL.”

“Then we'll teach them-”

“And then you'll rule over a nation a corpses, Feferi. Because everyone will have died for th' greater good, and you yourself will be a condemned murderer by proxy.”, he cooed smoothly.

Feferi's eyes widened and she swallowed heavily.

“Because, according to morality, you should have had the decency to allow them to make their own choice.”

Feferi stammered as the council murmured amongst themselves.

“You cannot legislate morality, Feferi. Because by doing so, you break your own law before its even begun.”, he continued on, both hands visible as he rubbed the soreness from one with the other and his eyes never left the lock they had on Feferi's own bright ones, “Emotion and feeling has no place in politics, in lawmaking. Lawmaking is not to keep us good or decent; no, its to keep us all civilized. Only by behaving in a civilized manner can any of us survive. We need things like pecking orders, food chains, allowable discrepancies...”

“But through my means, we can achieve perfection!”, said Feferi sharply, and then she cowered as Eridan laughed that frigid laugh heard only as he closed in on his prey during the Hunt.

“Perfection is, at best, a joke. A mortal concept dreamed up by tired poets and drunken authors as they leave their mistress of the week. At its most PLAUSIBLE form; perfection is not the absence of flaw, but the understanding and acceptance of it. Mathematics is the closest anything can come to perfection, and it still allows a margin of error.”

Feferi heard the louder whispers behind her, and saw the straight-backed violetblood in front of her, smiling like a hungry lion.

“You cannot have order without chaos, you cannot have sustainable life without a death rate. Otherwise, we wouldn't bother t'calculate it.”, he said with a chuckle, “To legislate morality is to damn yourself.”

“I am doing this for the greater good!”

“An' the road ta hell is paved with good intentions.”, he replied icily, “If you were truly doin' this for the greater good, Fef, I wouldn't have a military rank or a killcount.”

Feferi bit her lip, looking down for a eerily silent moment before quietly speaking, “I believe this meeting is adjourned.”

The sound of chairs shifting and scooting as trolls filed out one by one. She looked back up to see Eridan smoothing his uniform and smiling at her.

“Hopefully y'learned somethin' today, Feferi.”

“I've learned, once again, that you're an absolute bastard and a cruel, cold mockery of yourself.”

“Yes, yes, I'm a cad and a bounder and I chase pretty skirts on my days off too. I should be shot, Good Lord.”, he said with a laugh, “Doesn't stop your midnight visits. I must say, I do enjoy these little schoolfeeding lessons we have. I never thought I'd make a good teacher.”

He bowed from the waist, the purple lock of hair slipping to curl gently over on of his eyes as he said smoothly, “Have a good evening, My Lady... I'll see you later, no doubt.”

She hissed at him, but blushed vibrantly... And nodded.

He left, and she slumped against the table, gnawing her lip as she watched his rigid back recede from her vision until he walked out the door. Who would have thought; who would have ever guessed that the boy who had been head over heels for her and seeing hearts all those sweeps ago would make spades flicker in her eyes now?

“Bastard.”, she hissed to herself, stalking away to her chambers in a flutter of skirts and jewelry to wait for the hallways to clear.

She'd like another go at him, tonight. Less posturing and more... hands on interaction, of course.

 


End file.
